Wiktionary
n. (context military US English) A non-commissioned officer of rank E-9 in the United States Marine Corps, ranking above a master sergeant/first sergeant and below a warrant officer. It is equal in grade to sergeant major
Wikipedia
[[Image:USMC-E9-MGyS.svg|80px|thumb|right|
Master Gunnery Sergeant Insignia
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Master Gunnery Sergeant (MGySgt) is the 9th and highest enlisted rank (along with the grade-equivalent ranks of Sergeant Major and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps) in the United States Marine Corps. Master Gunnery Sergeants are senior staff non-commissioned officers (SNCOs), and are assigned a pay grade of E-9.
Master Gunnery Sergeants are sometimes referred to by the nicknames "Master Guns" or "Master Gunny". These nicknames are considered unacceptable in formal or ceremonial situations and, at the rank holder's discretion, may also be unacceptable for use by lower-ranking Marines. However, the vast majority of Master Gunnery Sergeants are less concerned with "proper" titles compared to those who hold administrative ranks such as First Sergeants and Sergeants Major. "Master Guns" has become the standard greeting used in every setting.
The Master Gunnery Sergeant insignia consists of a bursting bomb (colloquially referred to as a "pineapple" due to the similarity of its appearance as stylized) centered vertically between three chevrons and four rockers.
Usage examples of "master gunnery sergeant".
As he invariably did when he went for a ride in the jeep with a PFC at the wheel, he thought about how much he'd liked it better when he'd been a master gunnery sergeant with the pickup and didn't have to sit like a statue on an uncomfortable pad in the jeep.
When I was a battalion commander, I had a master gunnery sergeant who made it pretty clear that he thought he could run the battalion at least as well as I could.
He introduced himself as Master Gunnery Sergeant Jason Gwinn and, as others shook his hand and voiced their thanks, Alan and his mother waited while the old gunnery sergeant met his wife and then made introductions.
But Jack NMI Stecker, until recently Master Gunnery Sergeant Stecker, was not a lesser man.
But then, genius that I am, it occurred to me that, A, youre junior as hell, and that, B, if I had the battalion, I would assign an ex-master gunnery sergeant, now a captain, as a company commander.
The Marines were invited to participate in the service test of the weapon, and they sent a provisional platoon to Fort Benning in charge of a master gunnery sergeant named Jack NMI (No Middle Initial) Stecker from the U.
No one had the slightest idea what he was doing-except Master Gunnery Sergeant of Fleet Marines Philip Helton, who knew exactly what he was doing.
In China with the 4th Marines, Master Gunnery Sergeant Jack Stecker used to come off a thirty-mile hike through the mud of the Chinese countryside looking as if he was prepared to stand a formal honor guard.
It bore the name and signature of Philip Helton, Master Gunnery Sergeant of Fleet Marines.
Phil Helton, in particular, was blindingly easy to find, with Master Gunnery Sergeant of Fleet Marines chevrons—.